Reunions Suck
by Lovingh3art
Summary: Reed and Ben head back to their old university for the reunion party, but a disgruntled classmate has a terrifying grudge to settle with the rest of them - unless the Fantastic Two have anything to say about it.
1. Black Ties and Reservations

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Fantastic Four and its characters**

 **Also, this story is dedicated to Stan Lee. Long live the man!**

* * *

Chapter One

 _Black Ties and Reservations_

* * *

"Ben, stop fiddling with your tie. It's fine."

"Really? 'Cause it still feels stiff, stretch."

Reed chuckled. Who knew that Ben Grimm was a picky fashion model? He and Sue had spent the last hour helping Ben look presentable in his massive tux, and now his tie? The world might end sooner than he'd anticipated.

He made sure to properly direct the Fantasticar through the dark blue skies of New York, slower than usual due to the absence of car noises and ruckus on the streets down below. Tonight they were heading to a unique place. No, it wasn't an embassy or some super-villain lair. Rather, it was a place where they'd spent a good chunk of their young adult lives at – Empire State University.

The institute had been a big part of their education. Ben had gone there for sports and excelled at football. Reed, alternatively, focused on quantum mechanics and the inner workings of science worldwide. That was how he'd met Victor Von Doom, a sometimes-friend and other-times enemy. The two's rivalry with Doom ended in flames after he blew up his face in a botched experiment…Reed always thought school became a darker echo of itself after that. But at least it'd been the nexus to where he and his rocky friend would go forth from.

"Slow night," Ben mused from behind his genius friend. "Almost as if th' city's lettin' us through."

"Not a bad way to think on it," Reed responded. "Though, to be fair, we're lucky to be the only ones in the sky."

A craggy smile formed on Ben's face. "True…you getting better at jokes?"

"I…guess? When Franklin forced me to watch _My Little Pony_ the other day, it gave me a lot of…ideas, if you will."

"Heh. Wait a minute- Frankie's into _MLP_?"

Reed turned his face back to the controls so Ben couldn't see his largening smirk. "Seems so. Sue and I think it'll fade as he gets older."

"Dunno 'bout that," Ben mused. He noticed that they were getting noticeably closer to the campus in the distance. "Those bronies sure indicate that doesn't end with childhood."

Rolling his eyes, the properly-dressed hero quickly saw the campus approach them. Old memories flowed through his head when he saw the various buildings. The physics building, the library, the art and science centers…time seemed to have barely passed. Soon, the Fantasticar hovered into the faculty parking lot and stopped on the ground, with the engines humming into inaction.

"After you, friend." To add more formality to his motion, he stretched out a dressed arm to indicate the way towards the party. That only got a mumbled jab from Ben as he hopped out. His impact on the paved sidewalk was minimum at best, but one might've sworn they heard a tiny rip from his large tux.

"I gotcha. Heck, I played football here four years," Ben yammered back while righting himself. He set off towards the entrance hall with Reed behind him. "You think everybody's gonna' be here? Even Vic?"

"I highly doubt that," Reed conceded while stretching after his large friend. "Given all the recent political unrest in Latveria, Victor would most likely be dealing with it as we speak." His face twitched and he stopped. "Though…him returning isn't totally out of the question."

"What?"

"Think about it, Ben." Reed's visage returned to his serious nature. "Victor's our classmate. As much as he's hurt us and the world in his dreamt of power – he still went here. He should get some recognition for having been a student at the college."

"What kind o' recognition?" Ben retorted. "For being a cocky classmate, or blowing up his education in his face?"

The comment seemed to barely faze Reed in some aspects. "We should go inside. Don't be surprised if people swarm us."

"You kidding? I'm a former athlete turned into a rocky superhero! Who won't be swarming me?"

With that, the two scuttled off closer to the festivities.

* * *

Far from the entrance to the university, a thin black limo pulled up to the edge of the parking lot. The door opened and a tuxedo-wearing man stepped out. He was marginally handsome, with bushy brown hair and a slightly plump body. Despite his outfit, though, the scowl on his face said otherwise when it came to manners.

"Sir?" a mechanical voice from inside the limo asked. "Shall I supply you with your 'equipment?'"

He coughed. "Not yet, Andrew. My plans are going to happen quite soon…but we must wait. We can all be a little patient." He made a gesture with his hand and the door closed, followed by the limo rolling out the lot.

As he started walking forwards, all he could think about were the years he'd spent here. His untested theories, his debacles and problems with cocky rich kids. Degrading could barely describe it.

"No more," Mad Thinker declared. "They're going to be sorry they only gave me a 3.0 GPA and then a hazing that last year." Letting out a slight giggle, he walked up to the long walk to the main campus with sinister thoughts circulating in his head.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's the first chapter! This is going to be not that long a story but I'll try to make it entertaining, if only for Ben and Reed's friendship. Please follow, favorite, and review if possible! Adios, friends!**


	2. Nostalgic Undertone

**A/N: Stormcity, thanks for favoring and following! And thanks to anyone else reading! Sorry that it's been a while, but this will continue!**

 **Also, I appreciate the review for the first chapter that was done by a guest. Thank you for the comments!**

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Chapter Two

 _Nostalgic Undertone_

* * *

The thick, wooden doors of the entrance hall opened and closed behind Reed and Ben. As the former looked up to the long ceiling of his alma mater, he prayed for a second that maybe-

"Reed Richards!"

 _Too late._

A moderately thick woman with curly hair, wearing a black dress and a positive smile walked up to him. "How are you, string bean? Always thought you'd come back for this!"

"You know me so well, Dalilah," Reed said. Then he was unprepared for the next bit – her squishing him in a surprise hug. If she tried any harder, his body would've probably bent from the pressure. "Nice to….see…you…." He weakly squeaked in the crushing embrace.

Dalilah Rivers chuckled and let him go. "You too! I have NOT seen you in such a while, Reed! And Ben!" She turned in Ben's general vicinity. "How's hero work going for you, big boy? I see you and your fantastic pals in the news a lot!"

Ben chuckled. "Yeah, that's us. Haha…It's goin' alright, Dalilah…"

Reed picked up the conversation next. "So, I take it you just arrived?"

"You got that right!" She continued to loudly exclaim. "A bunch of people from our class are in the ballroom. I'll go and see you two there!" Then she walked off in a hurry to go find them.

"Wow…" Ben deadpanned. "Sure never saw her crush ya' like that before, stretch. I thought she was one of your admirers?"

Reed laughed hardly. "An admirer is stretching the term, Ben."

They walked closer and opened the doors, seeing an expanse of people and bright lights covering what would have been an open academic hall. Streamers and darkly-colored decorations hung from the walls. Tables filled with punch, extravagant food, and pictures of class photos were splattered around. Reed had expected some people to immediately swarm upon them due to their "life-altering" experience, yet was relieved when he saw that a good portion of their classmates were sucked into their conversations.

"What say we split up?" Reed propositioned. "We can cover more ground that way."

"Ya mean to see more people?" Ben corrected.

Reed coughed. "Y-yes. Of course."

"No worries, stretch. Yer a big hero now. Don't feel afraid." Ben exited stage left, leaving Reed to his own devices.

"Excuse me, sir," a woman in dark red asked as she came up to Reed, "but I don't know where-"

"-The ladies' room is?" Reed finished for her. "Exit on the left, I'd believe." Then he paused and realized there was a familiar aspect to this woman. "Sorry, but you appear to look familiar to me…"

The woman blinked twice, then brought her hands to her face in shock. "R-Reed Richards? Oh my god! It's me, Cyndie! Cyndie Reynolds! We were in physics together!"

"I- yes! I remember now," Reed responded enthusiastically.

Cyndie had been a major companion through his years at the college, even though there were chunks that he had forgotten. They'd shared a particle physics class their first semester and had immediately become best friends. When she started a problem, she very carefully collected the data and then proceeded to make a logical solution. Put her and Reed together, and they could figure out any classwork assigned to them.

Yet as the years had gone on, Reed and Cyndie's relationship had seemingly all but vanished. They weren't close enough to warrant a hangout or a visit to a science center in Westchester. Even after Doom's explosive expulsion from campus, something didn't seem right with being able to confide in each other. That was why one cool day in the fall semester, they'd had a quiet discussion in a classroom far from prying eyes and made their peace – just no longer as friends.

Just looking at Cindy now brought warmth and coldness to Reed simultaneously. She looked mature and confident, yet intelligence bit at the fringes of her aura. But she must've come to the same confusion as he had because her entire demeanor shifted. "Things…have they been good for you since school? I read about your family in the newspaper from time to time, but…you know, not like we've talked."

"Marginally worth it, I'm afraid," Reed stated. "Have you…seen anyone from our class yet?"

Cyndie shook her head. "Not for me. You could say I'd be up to see my classmates, but when most of your friends don't call or text after so long, it feels a little closed-off."

"I…can relate." Reed's nervousness peaked, but he decided to take point. "Would you care to take a stroll near the steps? It might be a good place to catch-up…without loud people."

She smiled, satisfyingly folding her arms. "I'll take you up on that. Lead the way."

"Of course," Reed replied with a smile, and he twisted to stretch an arm some feet until they both knew in what direction the doors to the steps were.

* * *

On the other side of the massive crowd, Ben meandered between the people to a small bar bench covered in purple and blue lights. He edged closer to find a collection of photos besides the bottles, looking ornate for what at a glance seemed like a casual gathering. Not being one to complain over the decor being fancy, he cupped an ale in his fingers but felt the glass about to give way from his pressure. _Son of a-_

"Ben!"

The craggy man swerved to find a surprisingly thin fellow in a suit standing before him. Then his eyes blinked and it dawned on him. "Sammy!"

"I knew you recognized me!" Sammy Scavo exclaimed. "I mean, we spent all of our free time throwing balls in the fields. That had to dig itself out sometime, right?"

Ben grinned, "Exactly! So if yer here, that's got to mean-"

"-I got here as well!" Chunky, dressed in a velvet turtleneck was another man with dark skin and hardened hair. Ben knew him better as Orson Bendinko, his and Sammy's other football friend. "Wouldn't miss this for the world, but now, I know it's even better with you two present."

"Shaddup," Ben said while grinning. "How's it been since college, fer both o' ya?"

"Solid," Orson pointed out. "Finally got that internship I talked about, and my career just took off. I spend my days planning events for a big firm in the center of Manhattan. It's something, Ben. You, Sammy?"

"You wouldn't believe how fun being a football coach is," Sammy cracked with a smirk. "Though, gonna' be honest… I do think the ass game isn't as fun now."

"Uh, what?" Ben was confused.

"I mean, you gotta' miss it a little," Sammy pointed out smoothly. "Back in college, you could score a chick or two, no problem. But now, there's all this 'Me Too' and social accountability that makes it so much harder. Jesus!"

"Then it's a good thing I'm working at a corporation," Orson added. His features almost pulled a one-eighty in comparison to what he'd looked like before. Nobody even seemed to notice otherwise. "Not only are there gals to hook with, but plenty of nerds that are way below me. Survival of the fittest, man."

"Preach," added Sammy.

Ben's rocky features began to harden. He couldn't believe what he was hearing! None of this talk had ever been that present back when he was college. The public consciousness wasn't as "woke," but…still! How could these football players, these young men that he'd associated with, be this rude? Had it always been like that when _he_ trusted them?

 _We're gonna' have a talk 'bout this later, fer sure…_

Sammy's flamboyant attitude disappeared and he pointed to the stage "Oh, great. Dean Melvin."

The aged old man raised a hand to speak, hushing the crowd across its berth. "Welcome back, class of '95. It's truly a wonder to see the fine men and women you've become. As pioneers of our campus' rich history, you've truly-"

Right as the speech was headed into a meandering cliché of happy times, a sudden tremor shook the room, followed by the collapse of one of the side walls. The alumni ran in fright or stared at the gaping hole. Ben, about to act from where he was, saw a large grey hand grab the crack with intense effort. The appendage was only part of a larger being that would appear to be a grey nude if not for the hammer-shaped head looking over the masses.

However, it was not the massive grey android with a hammerhead that was most odd, but rather the man in a pale green jumpsuit that stood on top of it. His features were sullen, and with his dark brown hair looked deliciously delighted at the chaos he was a part of.

 _Mad Thinker_ , Ben realized mentally.

"Empire State Alumni!" Mad Thinker yelled in criminal glee. "Fantastic to see you all again, and my apologies for the wall. Unfortunately, I don't have time to prove my remorse over its' fracture…as my vengeance is at hand!


	3. Revenge of the Cliche

Chapter Three

 _Revenge of the Cliché_

* * *

Under the purple hue of the approaching night, Reed and Cyndie made their way onto the large steps near the academic hall entrance. She crossed the final step and took a great big look at the sunset's final moments, linking her arms defensively.

"You know, I never told anyone this, but…I was always a fan of the nights here," Cyndie mentioned suddenly. "Right between the sunset and the pitch black, when the campus was winding down enough to be quiet. It always felt freeing…Y'know? Seemed timeless to me...

She turned back to Reed, blushing. "Sorry. It must sound so selfish to talk about a little thing I liked when I was figuring my future out… So you're a rubber band now, huh?"

Reed chuckled. He raised his right arm and stretched it up through the air until it was taller than the closest streetlight. "It appears that way," he responded while retracting the limb. "I remember just being skinny my whole life. The next thing I know, I can do a great many things that most men and women only dream of."

"And then going to parallel dimensions?" Cyndie added. "Fighting monsters and demons – even Vic? Having a wife and kids? I can't even imagine what you've been through, Reed."

"Thank you for that, but I'd like to hear what you've done as well," Reed said back to her, earnest.

Cyndie gripped her arm, turning nervously. "Who, me? Nothing really to tell. Nothing except-"

BOOM!

The two swerved, their ears and forms disturbed at a commotion so great that it was enough to make the walls of the entire hall shake from where they were. Reed changed to his game face, immediately cycling through what could be happening. Cyndie's features, in comparison, flushed.

"You don't think…Victor!?"

"I wouldn't put it past him to crash the event on his terms," Reed said while lengthening himself out," but in this manner…and now? Not his style." He moved quickly with increasingly longer limbs, then looked back at Cyndie. "Come on!"

She shook her head and ran after him.

* * *

The concept that Ben Grimm associated with the FF's villains was that they were pretty out there. Mole Man? A lonely old guy who spent his time with underground monsters. The Skrulls? Bug-faced aliens who were way too addicted to invading other planets with their weird shapeshifting. But Mad Thinker? That guy was a self-proclaimed mad genius they had trounced a dozen times, his schemes being simple enough to collapse in on themselves. So Ben's brain began to question its logic when he heard him rant about having been a student here. Since when? He should've been able to recall him –just by his face at least.

"For years, I labored away and toiled at the academic halls here, trying to just improve my merits. But do you know who was standing in my way? All of _you_!" Mad Thinker cried out fervently, pointing to the shocked crowd. "From the guards that didn't let me in, to the jocks that harassed me day in and day out, and the girls who said I was too ugly to go to parties with them – this is all on you! You made my life a hell, transforming me into the hardened but superior genius I am today!"

 _Geez. The longer this guy goes on, he might as well be trying to be Doc Ock,_ Ben whined mentally.

"Is that too much for the likes of your simple brains? Fear not, I have the necessary antidote right-"

"HEY!"

The Mad Thinker's rant ceased, and in looking to the heckler, he gaped. "The Thing?! What are you - how dare you interrupt me!"

"Yeah, yeah, I got the memo, pal," Ben bared while folding his cuffs so his arms could move more. "Yer here to mess with the event and hurt people because ya' got bullied in the past. Not exactly revolutionary, is it? But since I'm here, ya' better give up, or clobbering' time will come early…"

The Mad Thinker's frame rattled. "You want to stop my plan, Grimm? Defeat my android! Andrew, attack!" The verbal command came into effect as the large grey android turned its' hammer-like head and bent down with both arms punching. Ben barely dodged them before the impact sent chunks of the ballroom floor into the air. Guests ran, some bumping into each other on their attempt to the exit.

"Christ!"

"Oh Hell!"

Ben picked himself up and vaulted towards the hand, jumping onto it just as it began to lift. He rocked his fist backward before sending it into the side of the grey palm, but to his surprise, nothing happened. No tremor, no vibrations back into him – nothing.

"Look at that - It didn't do a thing!" Ben realized out loud.

"Of course!" Mad Thinker responded from on top of his creation. "I'm not a fool, Grimm. Andrew has been upgraded to withstand your tenacious strength – and then some!"

Right as he said this, Awesome Android took notice of the Thing and decidedly flicked its wrist. Ben was sent tumbling into the air before crashing down onto a punch table, the structure and drinks smashing into pieces under his dent.

"Ugh,…neat trick…"

Awesome Android raised his fist and was about to let it come back down until something as thin as a rope wrapped tightly around it several times in the nick of an instant. Ben squinted as he recovered, right before a lightbulb exploded in his head.

"Stretch!"

"Richards? Here too?" said Mad Thinker as he realized Mr. Fantastic to be in his creation's way.

"Thinker…why would-" Reed's question was rudely interrupted as the Android reached its other grey arm at him. Luckily, Mr. Fantastic stretched his tuxedo-fitting body out of reach and instead around the robot's arm even more. After looping a couple of times, he gave a mighty tug and the android moved, but only to a degree of what he'd hoped. "Fascinating. Despite all the pressure, I've not accomplished any movement."

"Of course!" Mad Thinker guffawed. "You think I'd invent something as ineffective as to that in which you can defeat? You delude yourself, Richards!" He reached up a hand and snapped his fingers. A moment later the entire surface of Awesome Android's body sizzled with electricity, electrocuting Reed to the point that he yelled and promptly fell onto the floor as a heap of steaming leather and rubber.

"Unnngghhh…" He exclaimed, still feeling the aftereffects speeding through his body. "Your technology has improved, but that's not always enough."

"I couldn't agree more," Mad Thinker replied coolly. He directed the Android some feet before it lifted its right leg over the leader of the Fantastic Four. In a matter of seconds – and without warning – Reed was promptly squashed underneath it's foot as flat as a pancake, and not one of his limbs escaped.

"Stretch!" Ben cried out, getting up to do what he could. He knew his friend would be fine, but roughhousing his teammates was out of the picture. "Yer getting big of yerself, Mad Thinker!" Using some quick thinking, Ben grabbed hold of some tables and sent them flying into the air. There was no actual damage, but that was never the Thing's intent; he only wanted the giant robot's attention.

"C'mere and get me, ya' giant idiot!"

"I don't think so, Grimm. Your petty insults don't do as much as your fists. Andrew?" The villain cried out, and the android responded, casually leaning down and flicking Ben into the wall backward with his large metallic wrist. As if to add insult to injury, Awesome Android lifted its fist in victory.

And the Mad Thinker cackled with precise glee.

"You see that, you cowards?!" He let out another cackle before peering the terrified alumni standing around in shock. Then his eyes landed on the two ex-bullies who had made his life hell in college that whole time. "Andrew, grab those two!"

The giant robot bent down and swiftly collected Sammy and Orson in its' hand and then lifted them screaming. The goal completed, Awesome Android turned to the wall and promptly ran through it, all three intact on its' figure.

"No, let us go! Please!" Sammy yelled from the robot's grip. As the large automaton got farther away from the wrecked auditorium, their cries faded into the distance.

"Ben! Reed! You have to get up!

The Thing shook his head and saw Cindy next to them, helping Reed retract his stretched-out spaghetti of a body. "Cindy, what…"

"No time to talk, Reed," Cindy barked aggressively while reaching for something in her dress. Ben's eyes widened when he saw the blue and white emblem she'd produced in her palm.

"Cin," he asked as he steadied him and Reed up. "What's with ya' having a S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem in yer pocket?"

"Oh," she. "I…I'm an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. now, Ben. So hurry up!"

* * *

 **A/N: And things are heating up! You could say that thenext chapter will be the last one, but what will happen? Tune in next time!**


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